The Ingredient: Sweet, Aromatic Soy Sauce (Fu Zhi Jiang You)

My friend Yu Bo sent me this recipe, after I begged him for it. The spices can be varied; Yu Bo told me many Sichuanese cooks would also include small amounts of licorice root (gan cao) and dried “sand ginger” (shan nai, more commonly called kaempferia galangal) but I like it with star anise and extra heat. I usually make a batch four or six times the size of the recipe, just to have it around. I use it as an ingredient in anything requiring sweet soy or as a dip for dumplings or roasted Chinese barbecue, or as a sauce for noodles. This stuff is meant to be played with in the kitchen and once you have it on hand, you will try it on everything. I even drizzle some on fried eggs. READ MORE »